Cambridge University is the second-oldest in the U.K. and dates back to 1209 when it was founded by two exiled Oxford scholars. The university is made up of a total of 150 different departments and faculties spread across the university's 31 colleges. The colleges of Cambridge are independent institutions in their own right, controlling their own finances, buildings and selection process. They are also where the students' accommodation and lectures are based.
The university is split into six schools: Arts and Humanities; Biological Sciences, including Veterinary Medicine; Clinical Medicine; Humanities and Social Sciences; Physical Sciences; and Technology. Postgraduate courses include taught programs such as Masters and Diplomas, which include a large degree of course work and group study. Research programs consist primarily of Ph.D.s where students carry out a piece of supervised research.
In 2009 the Times of London's Good University Guide ranked Cambridge as the second-best university in the U.K. and best overall for research. In the same year the QS World University Rankings named the university as the second-best in the world after Harvard.
Cambridge University
The Old Schools, Trinity Lane
Cambridge CB2 1TN UK
011-44-1223-333308
cam.ac.uk
Oxford University is the oldest higher education institution in the U.K., dating back to the 11th century. Located in Oxford, the university was ranked as the top university in the U.K. by the Times of London Good University Guide and was ranked second in terms of research.
Postgraduate students can choose from a range of programs within the Department for Continuing Education, which is divided into four different faculties: Humanities; Mathematics; Physics and Life Sciences (MPLS); Medical Science and Social Sciences. Graduate students also are aligned to one of the university's 38 colleges, which act independently of each other. As of 2010 the university had 7,000 graduate students, of which 40 percent were from outside the U.K. coming from a total of 120 different countries.
Taught graduate programs include Masters, Master of Philosophy, Master of Science, Master of Business Administration and Diplomas. Research programs consist of Ph.D.s, Masters of Science by Research and Masters of Letters. Graduate students also benefit from the university's library, which is the second largest in the U.K. after the British library in London, and is home to more than eight million volumes.
University of Oxford
University Offices
Wellington Square
Oxford, OX1 2JD, UK
011-44-1865-270000
ox.ac.uk
London School of Economics, or LSE as it is more commonly known, was founded in 1895 by Beatrice and Sidney Webb. Today it is a university that specializes in the social sciences, encompassing everything from law, accounting and finance to politics and, obviously, economics. In 2009 the Times of London's Good University Guide placed the university in joint third place for its research.
Graduates who choose to study at LSE can choose between taught and research programs. The taught programs consist of Masters and Diplomas, which are either one or two years in length, while the research are made up of Ph.D.s, M.Phil.s and M.Res., which provide students with a complete understanding of a certain area within the social sciences.
Of the nearly 8,000 students who studied at the university in 2010, approximately 65 percent were international and 65 percent were studying postgraduate degrees. LSE has an impressive alumni that includes 15 Nobel Prize winners.
London School of Economics
Houghton Street
London,
WC2A 2AE
UK
011-44-0-20-7955-7688
lse.ac.uk